1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to article carriers, and specifically to infant carriers. An infant carrier having a seat portion with a shoulder strap extending diagonally across the adult's body is disclosed, wherein the seat has a rigid saddle-like structure.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Infant carriers are well known as means for an adult to transport a child while leaving the adult's hands free for other functions. Carriers also are known for supporting the child at different positions relative to the adult's body, such as on the adult's back, front or side. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,197,100 to Thompson discloses a back-pack carrier constructed of flexible material. U.S. Pat. No. 2,599,474 to Mills discloses a front side carrier that fits the adult much like a vest. U.S. Pat. No. 2,846,699 to Watson discloses a portable bed-style infant carrier that is carried against the adult's side.
It has been the practice in the prior art to construct infant carriers of soft, flexible materials so that the child will remain as comfortable as possible during travel. Correspondingly, the carrier is intended to be comfortable for the adult as well. Primarily for the latter reason, carriers have been provided with large, soft straps. In the above referenced Thompson patent, for example, the back-pack style carrier is equipped with a pair of shoulder straps, each of which passes between the wearer's neck and shoulder edge much like the straps of any back-pack. The Mills patent, as previously stated, relates to a vest-like garment and employs a pair of wide straps that pass over the shoulder as would the shoulder of a vest. The Watson device employs a single strap that diagonally crosses the wearer's body and rests between the neck and shoulder edge.
The problems addressed from the prior art are two-fold: First, infant comfort is often ill served by use of soft, flexible materials that form a satchel-like carrier. Quite uniformly, the child rests on a cloth sling with his legs dangling free. While such an arrangement appears comfortable at first impression, that area of cloth supporting the child's body is often quite restricted and may constitute narrow creases of cloth crossing the child's crotch. In time, this leads to discomfort and may impair circulation to the child's legs.
Second, the wearer's comfort and posture are negatively influenced by the types of support straps previously identified. Any strap looped around the wearer's neck or shoulder for supporting the carrier from the front or side is likely to cause, in time, back strain, neck strain, and shoulder soreness. The best arrangement from the prior art appears to be the back-pack carrier that distributes the child's weight onto both shoulders, but even this arrangement may result in discomfort since the straps are crossing the soft tissue of the shoulder adjacent to the base of the neck.
The wearer's comfort is also compromised by the flexibility and softness of the carrier, which allows the child's bony frame to rest directly against the adult.
These problems have been addressed in the creation of an infant carrier that is designed to accomodate to orthopedic requirements of both the child and the adult, so that the carrier may relate to both parties to provide necessary support and balance.